The SANDAG Access for All Grant Program (AFA) funds projects and programs that expand on-demand Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle services for individuals with disabilities in the San Diego region. The program is funded by a ten-cent Access Fee collected from each Transportation Network Company (TNC) trip in the county, where those fees are then collected and redistributed for use.
Funding is administered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). AFA was created to implement the passage of California Senate Bill 1376 in 2018, which directed the CPUC to develop the program and create regulations around accessibility for persons with disabilities, including a financial incentive for Transportation Network Companies, including rideshare and ridehailing services to increase accessibility.
The AFA Cycle 1 Call for Projects includes approximately $2.5 million for eligible projects. The Call for Projects was open for a 90-day period from May 5, 2022, through August 3, 2022. Funding recommendations were approved by the Board of Directors in November and AFA service began in June 2023.
The Cycle 1 AFA grantee’s program, RideFACTNow, provides on-demand transportation service to riders requesting a wheelchair accessible vehicle trip in San Diego County. For more information or to request a ride, contact Facilitating Access to Coordinated Transportation (FACT) at (888) 924-3228.
Cycle 2 Call for Projects
The AFA Cycle 2 Call for Projects Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria were approved by the SANDAG Board of Directors on May 26, 2023. The AFA Cycle 2 Call for Projects will fund more than $2.3 million for eligible projects and programs.
Applying for Funding
The Access for All (AFA) Cycle 2 Call for Projects opened on March 15, 2024 in SANDAG’s BidNet Direct portal. Applicants will need to register on BidNet Direct to access the Cycle 2 Call for Projects solicitation, including the Project Application. For more information on issues and questions related to BidNet Direct, please visit our Grant Programs page and scroll down to the Resources section.
In addition, Prospective Applicants wishing to learn more about the program and the Cycle 2 Call for Projects can register for a Prospective Applicant Webinar on Tuesday, April 9, 20024 at 3pm.
For additional questions not related to the application, please contact SANDAG at grantsdistribution@sandag.org. All application-related questions submitted in BidNet Direct will receive a timely response from SANDAG staff.
Anticipated Timeline
Applicants will need to submit their completed project applications by Friday, June 14, 2024 at 5:00 pm Pacific Time. See the Call for Projects in BidNet Direct for more details on the Cycle 2 Call for Projects timeline.
